"An online friend you really met in a game?"
"What else? I don't have any other way to meet people besides games. It's not like I could be going on group dates with other women in the Void Realm."
*When you lie, could you at least keep in mind that you're talking to the genius swindler ranked second on the Two-Winged Mind List · Azula Sub-list? Looking to the right instinctively instead of meeting my eyes, unconsciously fidgeting with your fingers—most of all, your infant-level control over your facial expressions completely gives you away!*
Still, the woman wasn't the point. The point was that Yaxiu had somehow managed to secretly contact the outside world right under his nose... No wonder he didn't seem too bothered by the contract with Annan. It seemed he had cards up his sleeve that hadn't been exposed yet.
That made sense. After all, he was a cult leader on the same level as the Everlasting Presence.
And the Everlasting Presence could stand toe-to-toe with Three-Winged Sanctuary Sorcerers. There was no way Yaxiu was truly that useless—and even if he were useless, he certainly couldn't be that naive.
Igola had constantly wondered how Yaxiu had ever managed to become a cult leader in the first place, and perhaps this was the answer.
Before this, he had even thought that without him, Yaxiu and Harvey would probably have ended up as Banjie's successors, burning through the rest of their days slaving away for Eldest Miss Annan—or Yaxiu would have been forced to become a doting father figure, working like a beast of burden to raise Lisi for the rest of his life...
Now, though, it seemed he had been far too full of himself.
"Hey."
Seeing Igola spacing out, Yaxiu snapped his fingers. "Didn't you take a shower? Why are you so out of it first thing in the morning?"
Igola blinked. "A shower?"
"Don't you take a shower every morning? You just came out of the screening room, so you must've been binge-watching videos all night after logging off from the Void Realm, right? Exercise some moderation, male Veela." Yaxiu wagged a finger with a solemn expression, indicating this would not do.
"You actually knew that?"
"I went looking for you in the morning several times back in prison, and every time, I could smell your shampoo. It's not like my nose is broken." Folding his arms, Yaxiu said, "Well, everyone has their own morning routine. Personally, I have to let out a huge yawn before I can really wake up, even if I'm not tired... By the way, aren't there a swimming pool and a steam bath here? Want to go soak together in a bit?"
Igola shot him a surprised glance, his gaze drifting to the right as his left hand brushed a loose lock of hair behind his ear. "I already showered... Heh, only trying to butter me up when you need a favor?"
His motives exposed, Yaxiu didn't even blush. "What else am I supposed to do? Go pee together with you?"
"Not even middle schoolers make friends like you do." Igola shook his head. "Since I haven't met her in person, I can only give you general methods to smooth things over. If I used this approach, it would usually appease young women under twenty. As for you..."
"I can pull it off too!"
"No, you can't."
"I can!"
"Your looks can't guarantee that high of a success rate."
Chatting as they walked, the two made their way into the living room. As always, Banjie had breakfast ready, and little Lisi was already seated at the table, eating with prim, upright posture.
"Is the young miss not here?" "Harvey slept in?"
Banjie shushed them, cupping a hand behind his ear. "Listen."
Yaxiu and Igola listened closely and heard a buzzing sound approaching outside the balcony, as if some piece of machinery were flying toward the sun!
*Hum—*
A skycar hovered just outside the balcony. Banjie walked over and opened the balcony railing to let the vehicle dock—so that wasn't just a balcony, but a parking berth!?
The door swung open, and Annan hopped out, clad in a purple miniskirt, high boots, a short vest, and a bucket hat. Though purple remained her signature theme, she wore it with a different flair every day. It wasn't that purple conferred beauty upon her; rather, she breathed life into the color.
Harvey stepped out of the vehicle carrying a suitcase. He seemed to have changed into a somewhat trendy outfit, wearing a flat cap that, paired with his dark complexion, momentarily made him look like a sporty young man.
Once they stepped off, the skycar automatically disengaged from the balcony and descended, and the railing closed behind them.
"Take your time eating, I won't have any." Annan yawned. "I need to go catch up on sleep in the Void Realm... It's been a long time since I pulled an all-nighter like this."
"Why not have a cup of coffee first to wake yourself up?" Banjie suggested. "Beans from Rhodes Island, three sugars, two scoops of milk..."
"All right, since you're recommending it so warmly, Banjie."
Harvey gave them a nod and rolled his suitcase toward the bedrooms. As he walked past, Yaxiu pulled little Lisi close, holding her until Harvey's figure vanished down the hallway.
Then they turned their eyes toward Annan. She tilted her head. "It is exactly what you're thinking."
"It wasn't picked up off the street, though; it was bought. While it's technically a gray-market transaction, at least the Book of Gospel won't dock our credit for it."
Yaxiu covered Lisi's ears. "I thought you two went and randomly picked a lucky vagrant."
Annan shook her head. "No need. Even though there aren't many buyers, the industry is well-regulated. With a bit of money, you can buy whatever materials you want. It's much less hassle than tracking down a suitable homeless person."
"Didn't Harvey lose yesterday, though?" Igola asked. "In what way did our necromancer win over the young miss's favor? Young miss, how do you think I measure up?"
"Yes, he lost, which was why I took him out on a small mission last night," Annan replied. "When we came back, I made good on my promise and bought him a gift while we were at it."
"A gift!"
Lisi abruptly wrenched free of Yaxiu's grip. "What gift?"
"Uncle Harvey got a 1:1 scale terrifying giant doll," Yaxiu said. "If you dare go into his room, I guarantee you won't have the guts to use the bathroom alone tonight."
"I'm not scared of dolls!"
"Are you... really!?"
"Eek!"
While Yaxiu used his uncanny grimacing skills to scare Lisi into leaping backward, Igola looked on in bewilderment. "You took Harvey out on a mission last night? What kind of mission?"
"When your turn comes, you'll know." Annan took the coffee from Banjie with a light laugh. "Isn't it nice to leave a little mystery between us?"
In other words, Annan had pulled Harvey aside for a secret conversation last night?
Igola's first thought was that Annan wanted to pick them off one by one and turn them against each other, but it felt deeper than that. Annan was like a bottomless pool: you might only want a sip from the surface, but one careless move could drag you down to drown.
Should he go ask Harvey in a bit...? Yet that might also be a trap. If there were things Harvey didn't want to talk about, Igola's questioning could easily drive a wedge between them.
As Annan leisurely sipped her coffee and Igola stood wrapped in thought, Yaxiu sensed the strange tension in the air. He turned to Lisi and asked, "Did you like that skycar just now? Why keep staring at the balcony?"
"I'm waiting."
"Waiting?"
"It's here!"
A cargo drone flew in past the balcony, dropped off a parcel in the living room, and buzzed away. A sudden realization hit Yaxiu. "You've been shopping on the Curtain."
"Yep!"
"What did you buy?"
"I bought things that look good, things that are fun, interesting, cute, pretty, shiny..."
"What item could possibly offer such good value to have all those qualities at once?"
"It's not like I only bought one."
*Bzzzz—*
A scalp-tingling chorus of drones swarmed toward them. Looking outside, they saw over a dozen cargo-laden drones swooping into the living room!
Chapter 250